Chapter 9
Mosah sat alone in the cell. It was different to that of the cells where Adia had been held. This cell was cold and dark. The walls were made of a dark metal instead of the bubble membrane making it ghostly quiet. This area, Mosah knew, was a place of high security. Where the most dangerous of criminals were being kept. He almost felt flattered. Leaning back against the wall Mosah huffed. This was the most antagonizing part, the wait. He'd only been here for a matter of hours yet it seemed so much longer.
The sound of footsteps from the outside suddenly rang throughout the prison. Listening with great anticipation, Mosah leaned forward. The steps halted at his door. There was a moment of jingling keys before the loud snap of the heavy door being cranked open blared throughout the cell.
The cell door slowly opened, revealing two armed Troopers on the other side.
"You are coming with us." One of the Troopers stepped forward, roughly grabbing Mosah's arm and pulling him to his feet.
Mosah tore free of the Troopers grip and the Trooper's companion instinctively lunged for his electropole.
Mosah merely fixed himself up, signalling to the Troopers that he wasn't going to attempt anything. He bared them a dangerous grin.
The Troopers' expression did not change. Slamming cuffs onto Mosah's wrists they directed him out into the hallway.
"Dissen it. Dissen being where Er Shua lives." Aquria pointed to the massive bubble ahead.
It was evening by the time they reached it on the other side of the city.
"Mesa gonna go find some way tosa get in. Be back soon." Aquria whispered, slinking off around the bubble.
Adia breathed, eyeing it off. The place was huge. She could tell just by looking at it that this wasn't going to be easy. Especially so because she had nearly no idea as to what she was looking for.
Inside she'd kept telling herself over and over again, she was looking for information on Jerich. But even now she knew that she was fooling herself. There were things that she needed to find out about Er Shua. Find out who exactly he was and how he'd known Adia and her mother. For she knew that if she didn't take the opportunity then, it would never happen again and she'd live wondering.
"Comen on." Aquria came back around to meet her. "Mooi tink mesa found a way in."
Adia nodded, following the child.
Aquria led Adia to a small back street where they confronted an entranceway. The butler's entrance. Most large homes had them, normally around the back where the kitchen was situated. It served as a way in and out for the butler as well as where deliveries were left. All without interrupting the rest of the household. It was solely the butler's job to keep it secure from outsiders.
Aquria nosed her way around the outside of the doorway humming as she ran her fingers down the surface. Somewhere here there was located a hidden panel in the bubble's metal frame. They were almost always hidden.
"Ah," Aquria's hand came across a rough surface, not normally picked up by the eye. Finding a gap she wrenched her nails underneath the surface plate pulling it away to reveal the panel underneath.
Grinning she gave Adia a defiant glance, drawing a small metal stick from her pocket. An electric lock pick, something Troopers used during a raid. Just one of the many items she'd swiped from the station on her visits.
It took several moments of fiddling around the panel as Aquria bit her lip, mumbling to herself in concentration. Behind her she felt Adia's fidgeting form. She was getting impatient.
Before much longer the click Aquria had been waiting for sounded and the doorway of the bubble became transparent.
"Yes," Adia hissed, putting her hand through the surface before stepping inside.
Glancing around the back street for any onlookers Aquria followed her accomplice.
The kitchen was huge, and dark. Adia bothered not to stop until she reached the end of the room where there she came across a vast maze of walkways and rooms.
"Wow!" Aquria gasped, as if she'd just discovered the ultimate playground. "Dissen bombad!"
It was like stepping into small version of a city, only minus the populous and brilliant lights.
Where to start looking: that seemed the hardest part.
Adia stared down at Aquria.
"Okay, we need to find…" she stopped to think. What did they need to find? "An office?" she stared at the child, questioning.
Aquria shrugged.
"Mesa guess so. Mesa never been into a mansion though."
Adia sighed, "Let's just start searching shall we. I'm not sure when Er Shua will be back and we've got a lot of ground to cover."
Aquria nodded, allowing Adia to take the lead.
Mosah paced around the conference room. Impatient he often stopped to stare down the two Troopers whom stood watch at the entrance. The room in itself was reasonably large, but held little more than a huge, round table with a flimsy decoration seated on its top. It was getting hot, Mosah wondered if his two guards had noticed, or maybe it was just him. Yet again he was being forced to wait. There was nothing he hated more than having to wait. After all, what did the authorities have to decide about him? The answer was a simple yes or no.
He huffed, mumbling lost words to himself as he yet again rounded the table. The guards seemed unconcerned by his agitation he wondered if they ever got tired of what they did.
Unexpectedly, the entrance gave way and the three figures stepped inside.
"Ah." Mosah grinned, greeting the first one. "Finally, we reach a solution?"
It was at least an hour before Adia finally found herself getting somewhere. She entered into a room where there she confronted a bed just as big as her personal living quarters. No doubt, this was the master bedroom.
As with every other room she'd come across it was neat and spotless. Feeling her way around the dim area, Adia approached a cabinet that sat to one side. On it was an open jewellery box showing its vast array of neck chains and gems, making clear to Adia that this man, Er Shua had some sort of female companion, most probably his wife.
This observance of Er Shua's household very slowly brought forgotten memories back to Adia's mind. As she suddenly realized that the night of her mother's death was not the first time she'd seen him.
Adia's investigation soon brought her to another doorway inside the room. Not one that led back into the main part of the house, this bedroom had another room attached to it.
It was an office. But it was so dark that Adia was forced to bring a little light into the place. Leaning back over to the panel on the doorframe she pushed for the lights. Having to adjust to the sudden brightness, Adia gave herself a couple of seconds to glance around. She stared, her mouth open in disbelief. The walls were lined with bookshelves. Er Shua might as well have records of the whole city stacked on them. But as Adia drew closer she soon came to realize that many of these book and scrolls were in fact history books as well as texts on myth and legend.
The place was hidden and alone and yet it seemed cluttered and busy compared to the rest of the mansion. This was obviously a place of refuge from the remainder of the world.
Journeying in further, Adia approached a single desk and chair that sat alone in the middle of the office. They seemed tiny and almost insignificant in a room so big.
The desk held nothing of particular interest, just a record book full of numbers and a vase with half dead flowers hanging out of it. Knocking a fist on the desk's wooden surface she eyed off the chair. Leather. Obviously from the Naboo. Er Shua didn't like to live cheap. Adia couldn't resist. Pulling it out she had to sit down in it. Sighing, she ran her hands down the leather, leaning back. It was so comfortable that Adia found that she'd have a very hard time getting out of it.
Taking in the scenery from her perch she spied two things worthy of a good inspection. The desk drawers and a small cupboard in one of Er Shua's bookshelves.
Pulling herself forward to sit on the edge of the seat Adia began with the top draw. She slid it open only to be confronted with a pleasant surprise.
"My things!" She could hardly contain the shriek.
Adia grabbed her blaster. It had decently been used leading Adia to suspect that it was probably Er Shua shooting at her in the alleyway. The setting was on low, if she'd been hit, it wouldn't have been a killing blow. Meaning that for some reason, he wanted her alive.
Adia pulled away from her trail of thoughts, shoving the blaster back into her holster. Now she didn't feel so venerable. Her sphere was also in the drawer. Adia quickly snatched that too. Kissing it, she placed it back in her pocket and continued on with her search.
Aquria had no idea what she was looking for except that it had to be something about Jerich… she supposed. But even still what information would the General have that they didn't have at the station?
The child sighed fiddling with an ornament decoration. She only hoped that Adia knew what she was looking for.
Wandering the dark walkway Aquria passed a room where she spied a light. For a moment, she thought that someone was there. The child froze, listening for any movement… none. Aquria journeyed further in where she almost choked on her own tongue. It was a bedroom. And a strong. Almost sweet smelling incense permeated the whole area so that Aquria felt as if she might drown in it. The source of the aroma was that of a small bowl sitting on a mantle. In the middle of that bowl a single candle floated in a purple coloured mixture. In the light of the candle Aquria could see the mist rise from the bowl and fill the room. It made Aquria feel queasy and lightheaded.
A sound from outside drew the child away. Turning back she spied the shadow of a figure scurry down the walkway. Aquria jumped. Perhaps it was Adia making her way out. Aquria breathed, relieved. Sneaking around the General's mansion wasn't a good idea to begin with. It gave Aquria a very uneasy feeling.
"Adia!" The child called out, dashing after her. But from the shadows a very different figure stepped out in front of her. Grabbing her by the shoulder he held a kitchen knife to her ear.
"Where's the other one? Before, I was seeing two!"